SANFORD — City councilors voted Tuesday to pursue legal action against a Springvale property owner who refuses to remove a large pile of trash from his property.

A large pile of trash and debris has accumulated on the property at 17 Reed Street. The pile has been the subject of complaints from other property owners in the neighborhood, and the city’s Codes Enforcement Officer Shirley Sheesley has mailed three violation notices to the owner, according to documentation in the council’s Aug. 5 meeting package.

“This property has been the source of consistent complaints within the neighborhood,” City Manager Steven Buck said during discussion at the Aug. 5 meeting.

“It’s become clear that this individual has no intention of cleaning it up,” he said.

Sheesley’s letters to property owner Peter Viveiros stated that the accumulation of debris on the property is in violation of the 2003 “International Property Maintenance Code,” which Sanford has adopted, as well as the State of Maine’s junkyard statute.

Sheesley’s first letter to Viveiros, date Nov. 25, 2013, requested that the trash be removed by Dec. 5, 2013. A second letter, dated Jan. 16, 2014 refers to a phone call Viveiros apparently made to the Codes Enforcement Office in which he allegedly stated that “the trash will not be removed until spring at the earliest.”

“This is unacceptable,” Sheesley replied.

On May 12, Sheesley wrote that an inspection of the property had found that the trash pile had “expanded and includes furniture, scrap wood, bagged trash, and other items.”

While the vote to pursue legal action was unanimous, Councilor Alan Walsh wanted to know how the city was going to pay for the action, given the city’s limited budget for legal fees.

“I’m concerned,” Walsh said.

“We can’t not do this,” said Councilor Fred Smith.

Smith said the problem of accumulated trash and debris has become “almost an epidemic in our community.” Smith mentioned several other properties he had seen in town that have 30-yard dumpsters filled with trash on their properties.

“This affects every core value we have,” Smith said. “It affects the valuation of the town; it affects the health and safety of residents.”

Councilor Maura Herlihy agreed.

“People choose to live here, to invest here, because we don’t have these problems,” she said. “The problem is we cannot afford to not do this.”

Walsh also wanted to know why this particular property was chosen as the first case being pursued for an accumulation of trash.

“Is this the only property to have three violations?” Walsh asked. “If not, why [are we choosing this one]?”

“I’ve had complaints from people in this neighborhood for several years,” Councilor Joseph Hanslip responded.

Hanslip said he had recently learned that another property owner in the neighborhood was trying to sell his property and was told by an appraiser that he “could take X amount off the value of his property” because of his neighbor’s trash pile.

“This one’s at the top of the pile because I got sick and tired of dealing with it,” Hanslip said.

City Manager Buck said the violation is currently a civil violation. If the issue goes to court and a judge orders the property to be cleaned up and the owner does not comply with the order, it become a criminal violation and could result in a jail sentence as well as fines.